Bow eye replacement

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Bow eye replacement

Postby charsmith » Tue Apr 16, 2013 10:45 am

Hello all, I just picked up a '64 DS which is almost ready to sail (after the snow and ice melt :D ).
The bow eye seems to be missing and before I just fill the hole and move on, is it possible to install a new eye on there? It's kind of an ideal location for winching onto a trailer which I will be doing frequently.

Thanks for your help!
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby GreenLake » Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:10 pm

The repair is doable. A replacement part will be around $10-15, but you may find that reaching the spot from the inside is tricky.

The bow eye was the second thing that came off my boat after I purchased it. Getting a boat back on the trailer is possible, but a lot less convenient (been there).

The repair involved taking out the "bulkhead" above the flotation tank in the bow, so that I could wedge myself in forward enough to reach the nut. In some boats there may be some fiberglass covering up the nut, so if you don't see the hole from the inside you may have to grind a bit. That was not a problem with my boat (a '63).

I opted for a straight replacement of the single bolt bow eye. After having the old one snap in two, I was a bit nervous at first, about having only a single point of failure, but the replacement has held up well over the years. (With the boat on the trailer, I don't rely solely on the bow eye, but always tie a second line to the cleat on deck).

There are U-bolt bow eyes, but fitting them would require drilling, and probably also the use of a backing plate.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby charsmith » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:01 pm

Gee, that sounds like I'd have to inflict a lot of damage just to replace the eye! I think I might just run a strap around the back of the boat to tighten it up against the trailer and then just strap it down...
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby GreenLake » Fri Apr 19, 2013 4:54 am

If you read "lots of damage" you've misread my post.

I tried to point out that I was able to do this rather early in my career as DS owner. The bulkhead simply unscrews, so there's no "damage". And you should first have a look inside your boat to see whether the existing hole is visible, in which case the whole action is totally uncomplicated.

Not having a bow eye is going to be painful.
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby charsmith » Fri Apr 19, 2013 10:14 am

Thanks for the clarification! I'll have to climb up in there and see if I can find bolts. After my initial glance I thought the whole area was just glassed in.
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby GreenLake » Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:00 pm

You should see a flotation tank (which takes up the lower part of the bow, and which is glassed in). The rear wall of it should connect to the deck with a "frame" made of fiberglass and screwed in place. It should have two largish holes, usually covered by access panels, held in place by bungee cords. That "frame" is what you would remove to be able to slide your upper body on top of the flotation tank far enough to reach the bow. (Sometimes, a previous owner may have removed it for you - not a good idea in and of itself, but saves you a step in this repair).

On my DS the bow had a simple hole all the way through to fit the single bolt of the bow eye, with a large washer and a nut on the inside. All I had to do is get a new bow eye, push the bolt through and then try and get washer and nut on the inside and tighten everything. Took a few contortions, but that was all.

If you are slightly less lucky, someone in the factory decided to be helpful and slopped a bit of soggy fiberglass over the bolt from the inside, which would now be hard and cover the hole (and perhaps hold a captive nut and washer). We know that this happened to some boats, but have a good look first. It's still not the end of the world, just means you need to dig this out with a suitable tool. Clearing access to the bow eye in that way, should not "damage" the boat, even if you remove some material.

If in doubt, take some pictures and post them here.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby charsmith » Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:57 pm

Terrific description! Is this the right eye?
http://m.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 97#reviews
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby GreenLake » Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:49 pm

Looks just like the one I got. I can't tell from the product description how long the shaft is, that item is made in at least two sizes, with shaft length of about 3 and 4.5". If in doubt, get the longer one.

(Oh, and if this was not implicit in my description, please make sure to re-affix the "frame" when done, it's needed for strength. You might want to re-do the bungees holding your access panels, while you are at it - mine were definitely falling apart).
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby charsmith » Sun May 05, 2013 12:14 am

I took some pictures of my bulkhead today and it doesn't look very removable without cutting a lot of fiberglass

It looks like the whole bulkhead is glassed in...not sure what the spring was originally supposed to do.
Image
Image

I snapped a pick through the little peep-hole up on the right. Looks pretty dirty in there. Also looks like they just sprayed in some expanding foam for flotation.
Image

I'm considering just cutting a ~8" diameter hole in the bulkead somewhere near the centroid, cut out the foam to access the bow to replace the eye, spray some new foam in there and then leave the hole as a removable (sealed) access point for future use. Do you foresee any structural issues with this? I'm not too keen on slicing up the fiberglass, but I think it will be nice to have the eye.

Thanks
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby GreenLake » Mon May 06, 2013 12:27 am

Curious. Does your bulkhead look any where like what I'm showing here. (From a collection of pictures showing the installation of an inspection port).
804805803
Here are two pictures from before the repair, one showing the location of the bow eye bolt, which is above the floatation tank on that boat.15261527
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby charsmith » Mon May 06, 2013 1:59 pm

Nope, nothing like that. I don't have any access openings forward of the bulkhead. Nothing is removable. I think what I'll do is cut an access hole a few inches down from the deck to give myself access to the bolt. I was also thinking about installing a metal strap of some kind that would install behind the head of the bolt and bonded somehow to the inner walls of the hull in order to help distribute the load from the eye.

Stephen
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby GreenLake » Mon May 06, 2013 3:10 pm

OK, looks like one of the many design changes over the years.

The best suggestion I have for the "spring" is that it's somehow intended to keep in place the wooden strip backing some fitting (cleat?) in the middle of the foredeck.

About foam. Instead of spraying, get something closed sell (swim noodles, the blue or pink styrofoam insulation) and fill the volume with "bricks" of it. Some people use soda bottles. Sprayed foam is evil in terms of doing any kind of maintenance, as you are finding out yourself, so why add to the problem?

Access port in the foredeck sounds like a good idea, as well as perhaps one in the bulkhead.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby tc53 » Sun Jun 07, 2015 11:13 am

Hi Greenlake. I am looking to install a bow eye on my older Daysailer 1. It has not had one in the past. I am not sure I want to use the single shaft West Marine replacement linked earlier in this topic, partly out of concern for the single shaft and partly because it is not stainless. I noticed that D & R Marine lists two double shaft stainless "U-Bolt" type eyes in their product list, one 3/8" and another 1/2" diameter (they only provide a photo for the latter):

http://www.drmarine.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DR45%2D01

I would probably get the 3/8" one if I go this route. I am wondering, though, if the shaft length (4" on the 3/8" version) is sufficient to get through the extra glass in the very bow section of the boat. Do you know approximately how thick this is? Do you think any additional backing plate (other than the one that comes with the eye) to spread the load out further would be a good idea?
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby GreenLake » Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:24 pm

1/2" is overkill.

I don't think the part I have is SS, but is chrome plated bronze. Not 100% about that. But have had no issues. Having watched one of the single stem ones break on me, I understand the concern, but the 1:1 replacement part has worked for me for many seasons now.

For a new installation, you're more free in your choice. I think the backing plate as shown should be enough to spread the load. as for laminate thickness, the area tends to be sloppy; you may need to use an angle grinder to create a flat spot for the backing plate; leaving almost 4" of laminate should be enough.
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Re: Bow eye replacement

Postby tc53 » Mon Jun 08, 2015 10:21 am

Thanks, Greenlake. I would definitely go with the 3/8" version if I get the u-bolt style. Getting and working with a grinder up in that area sounds pretty daunting though. I wonder how think the extra glass is up there. With the single shaft version (the longer shaft of which might make grinding unnecessary), do you have to also drill small, shallow "pilot holes" for the two nubs above and below the shank?
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